Last year three children day care centers in Klaipėda launched a joint project to provide more services to children and young people from risk groups.

Project financed by European Economic Area “Composite Services for Risk Group Children and Youth in the City of Klaipėda” involved SSE Family and Child Welfare Center of City of Klaipėda, charity and support foundation “Spiritual Guidance Center for Youth” and charity and support foundation “Dienvidis”.

This project aims to increase the welfare of risk group children and youth. According to the project manager in Klaipėda, the head of day care center under the charity and support foundation “Dienvidis”, Jurgita Kulevičienė, taking part in the project allows all three centers not only to upgrade and renovate their premises, develop the environment, establish outdoor fitness facilities, purchase new necessary things, but also to expand the range of services provided.

Klaipėda started the project in November last year and it will continue until April next year. It involves at least 25 children from each center, some classes engaged the children's parents as well.  Mrs Kulevičienė said that work done so far is illustrated not only at stands built next to the centers,  sharing the information about the project, but also by great children's impressions.

EXPERIENCE.  All the children were impressed the most by the motivational field trips to Vichy water amusement park and the Folk Lithuanian museum of household in Rumšiškės. Both trips were part of the project. In autumn, the children will get even more interesting and useful workshops - professional trainings begin, during which children from 14 years old will be able to learn various skills for different professions such as carpenter-cabinetmaker, florist, photographer, tailor, gardener, and record keeper.

“Dienvidis” has already offered psychodrama classes for children and parents. It is a psychotherapy system that allows people to relive problematic situations, act them out. During these sessions we learned a lot about the parents, their experience. It is a shame that these classes ended, they really could continue, and they will, but now with the project partners”,  said the project manager from Klaipėda.

According to her, various preventive activities in which they talked about the damage of bad habits, alcohol, tobacco and drugs also took place. All the children were impressed the most by the motivational field trips to Vichy water amusement park and the Folk Lithuanian museum of household in Rumšiškės. Both trips were part of the project.

“We still have the biggest job ahead of us – professional trainings begin. They probably will start in September. Children from the age of 14 will have the opportunity to obtain an informal occupation such as carpenter-cabinetmaker, florist, photographer, tailor, gardener, record keeper. These professions skills will be taught by teachers - professionals in their fields”, said Mrs Kulevičienė.

“Some things may be more difficult to implement, but we are working toward this goal. Vocational training is important - risk group children and youth, especially girls, coming of age, rush into starting families and thus are left without professions. Our goal is to interest children in those professions. Training will be conducted in the form of workshops in order for children to acquire the skills that they will be able to use later on”.

Certain very important classes are meant for the staff members of the centers as well; these should develop and implement a program of working with children who have emotional and behavioral disorders. These activities will also include parents of children with emotional and behavioral problems. The risk group children and young people will be prepared for voluntary work in child day care centers.  What is more, psychological help and family crisis management support service facilities as well as entrepreneurial laboratory will be opened – it is done to show
the children that they must strive themselves to achieve something in life, one cannot expect that everything will always be given for free. The total project value is nearly EUR 229,000.